With nine hectares of vines in 25 different parcels, Guy Bocard stays busy keeping track of his domaine. A specialist in that most popular of varietals, Chardonnay, Guy will nonetheless tell you directly that he is not merely trying to make "the best possible Chardonnay", but great Meursault. Of course all Burgundy amateurs (or aficionados) appreciate the subtle difference, “one that appears” to escape many California Chardonnay producers who still refer to their wines as "Burgundy style". Would that be Chassagne, St. Aubin, Puligny, or perhaps, Chablis style?
For Guy Bocard, Meursault (and even his Bourgogne Blanc, made from vines within the commune of Meursault but outside the appellation) is racy, nervous, taut and even austere when young, more mineral than pear or apple, with an oily-rich viscosity and the telltale hint of hazelnut in the finish. "If you can taste the oak then I've used too much", is his motto, adding that new oak is like salt in great cuisine, a subtle enhancer of flavor rather than its dominant profile.
